Commercy
Encyclopedia
Commercy is a commune
in the Meuse
department in Lorraine
in north-eastern France
.
It is the home of the madeleines referred to by Marcel Proust
in A la Recherche du Temps Perdu.
After the marriage of the lord of Commercy with one of the daughters of the count of Saarbrücken
in 1247, the city has belonged to the county of Saarbrücken for one century. In 1324, the count of Saarbrücken decided to divide his possessions between his sons. Commercy gained its independence from the county of Saarbrücken but the count of Saarbrücken kept a castle in the city, a few hundred meters from that of the lord of Commercy. The existence of two different castles in the city remained until the 1722.
Leopold Joseph, Duke of Lorraine bought the two castles in 1702 and 1722. From 1737 the French Princess Élisabeth Charlotte d'Orléans, Dowager Duchess of Lorraine, was the Sovereign Princess of Commercy till her death in 1744. She was the daughter of Philippe I, Duke of Orléans
and Elizabeth Charlotte of the Palatinate
; she was the paternal grandmother of Marie Antoinette
. The Principality then went to the Polish king Stanisław Leszczyński who was given the Duchy of Lorraine and Bar after losing his crown in 1736. After her death, the Château de Commercy
was a residence of Stanisław Leszczyński.
Communes of France
The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...
in the Meuse
Meuse
Meuse is a department in northeast France, named after the River Meuse.-History:Meuse is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790...
department in Lorraine
Lorraine (région)
Lorraine is one of the 27 régions of France. The administrative region has two cities of equal importance, Metz and Nancy. Metz is considered to be the official capital since that is where the regional parliament is situated...
in north-eastern France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
It is the home of the madeleines referred to by Marcel Proust
Marcel Proust
Valentin Louis Georges Eugène Marcel Proust was a French novelist, critic, and essayist best known for his monumental À la recherche du temps perdu...
in A la Recherche du Temps Perdu.
History
The city was first mentioned in 823. Its name has been Commarchia (which means "sur la marche", i.e. at the border) and then Commercium during the Middle-Age.After the marriage of the lord of Commercy with one of the daughters of the count of Saarbrücken
Saarbrücken
Saarbrücken is the capital of the state of Saarland in Germany. The city is situated at the heart of a metropolitan area that borders on the west on Dillingen and to the north-east on Neunkirchen, where most of the people of the Saarland live....
in 1247, the city has belonged to the county of Saarbrücken for one century. In 1324, the count of Saarbrücken decided to divide his possessions between his sons. Commercy gained its independence from the county of Saarbrücken but the count of Saarbrücken kept a castle in the city, a few hundred meters from that of the lord of Commercy. The existence of two different castles in the city remained until the 1722.
Leopold Joseph, Duke of Lorraine bought the two castles in 1702 and 1722. From 1737 the French Princess Élisabeth Charlotte d'Orléans, Dowager Duchess of Lorraine, was the Sovereign Princess of Commercy till her death in 1744. She was the daughter of Philippe I, Duke of Orléans
Philippe I, Duke of Orléans
Philippe of France was the youngest son of Louis XIII of France and his queen consort Anne of Austria. His older brother was the famous Louis XIV, le roi soleil. Styled Duke of Anjou from birth, Philippe became Duke of Orléans upon the death of his uncle Gaston, Duke of Orléans...
and Elizabeth Charlotte of the Palatinate
Elizabeth Charlotte of the Palatinate
Elizabeth Charlotte, Princess Palatine was a German princess and the wife of Philippe I, Duke of Orléans, younger brother of Louis XIV of France. Her vast correspondence provides a detailed account of the personalities and activities at the court of her brother-in-law, Louis XIV...
; she was the paternal grandmother of Marie Antoinette
Marie Antoinette
Marie Antoinette ; 2 November 1755 – 16 October 1793) was an Archduchess of Austria and the Queen of France and of Navarre. She was the fifteenth and penultimate child of Holy Roman Empress Maria Theresa and Holy Roman Emperor Francis I....
. The Principality then went to the Polish king Stanisław Leszczyński who was given the Duchy of Lorraine and Bar after losing his crown in 1736. After her death, the Château de Commercy
Château de Commercy
The Château de Commercy is a castle in the town of Commercy, in the Meuse department of France. It was the principal residence of the reigning Prince of Commercy and was built by Charles Henri de Lorraine...
was a residence of Stanisław Leszczyński.
External links
- Office de Tourisme du Pays de Commercy (France)
- Office de Tourisme du Pays de Commercy (European Union)